Passengers stranded as JKIA workers hold anti-Adani protest

Hundreds of travellers have been stranded at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after workers downed their tools over a proposed takeover by an Indian company, Adani Enterprises. The workers’ strike, which began as a go slow on Tuesday night, escalated on Wednesday morning.

The aviation workers’ union is opposing proposal plans to privatise JKIA by leasing it to Adani for 30 years.

The government has justified the proposed lease of JKIA, arguing that the airport is operating beyond capacity and requires private investment for modernisation. Adani has pledged a Sh238 billion investment to expand and upgrade the airport.

Kenya Airport Workers Union (KAWU) announced that they would begin their strike on Wednesday, citing a lack of progress in negotiations with the government over the proposed JKIA lease.

“The industrial strike action is starting at 12 a.m. as the government has not been straightforward and genuine. They have not provided us with all the documents that we demanded,” said Moss Ndiema, KAWU secretary general.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Henry Ogoye, the acting CEO of Kenya Airport Authority (KAA), issued an apology for the inconveniences caused by the strike.

“As of 7:00am, minimal operations had resumed. In the meantime, we are engaging relevant parties to normalise operations. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience and understanding during this time,” he stated.

KAWU announced a 7-day postponement of the strike on 31 August after engaging the government at a meeting held at State House.

They demanded complete transparency regarding the proposed lease of JKIA to Adani and requested access to the relevant documents.

The union expressed concerns that the proposed deal could lead to massive job cuts, the hiring of foreign workers, and a decline in working conditions.

In a notice issued by KAWU on August 12, the union called for the dismissal of the KAA Board of Directors and three senior managers, accusing them of incompetence and mismanagement of the leasing agreement. They also called for the dismissal of two Kenya Airways security managers, accusing them of serious misconduct, including human trafficking, sexual harassment and unfair promotions within their department.

The union stated that they would only consider ending the strike if the proposed sale of JKIA was completely abandoned and if the KAA board managers and two Kenya Airways security managers stepped down from their position.

The strike comes barely a day after The High Court temporarily halted the proposed leasing of the airport following a lawsuit filed by the Kenya Human Rights Commission(KHRC) and the Law Society of Kenya(LSK). The two bodies argued that the airport is a strategic and profitable national asset. They stated that the deal violates the principles of good governance, accountability, transparency, and the prudent use of public money.

Jambojet has suspended all its flights landing or departing from JKIA. In a statement, the airline advised its customers to postpone their flight plans.

“Jambojet wishes to notify guests of flight disruptions due to the ongoing strike by airport workers. All our flights, scheduled to land and take off from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) are hereby on hold until further notice,” the statement read.